Barrett Poetker gets a hug from an audience member after sharing her story at a storytelling event for USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin's Kids in Crisis series on youth mental health.(Photo: Rick Wood, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

This series began with an urgent call to action over the rising toll of teen suicide in Wisconsin.

Three years into the Kids in Crisis project, nothing would be more gratifying than to report that our children are getting better.

Some things have certainly improved, and the issue got new attention in March when Oprah Winfrey presented a special report on trauma-informed care. It's an approach that frames questions away from “What’s wrong with you?” and toward “What happened to you?" Winfrey's spotlight on the issue follows on the heels of efforts in Wisconsin championed by first lady Tonette Walker to identify and respond to adverse childhood experiences.

Wisconsin is spending more on children’s mental health and is determined to track and evaluate the progress of programs. Schools have partnered with mental health providers on school-based treatment clinics and will be hiring social workers and psychologists.

Yet statistics show the crisis persists. Teen suicide and youths with mental illnesses in our state are still above the national averages. The number of crisis intervention services and emergency psychiatric detentions doubled from 2011 to 2015; the number of girls who reported self-harm doubled from 2011 to 2014.

The recommendations outlined are not ours alone. They have been culled from hundreds of interviews and conversations with families, readers, experts, policymakers and government leaders:

1. Stop flying blind. This was our first recommendation in 2016. It's still necessary today because there remains frustratingly little empirical evidence to guide where to focus dollars and energies. The Wisconsin Office of Children’s Mental Health acknowledges the shortcomings, but the onus is not solely on government. This crisis calls for business, government and higher education to work together to do better.

2. Be bolder about bullying. One word heard in nearly every discussion on youth mental health is bullying. Despite this, there is still no universal data collection on bullying across Wisconsin schools that would illustrate verified cases and outcomes. The Department of Public Instruction needs to set aside concerns about mandates and instead focus on solving a persistent and underlying problem.

3. Support LGBTQ+ students. Students who are lesbian, gay, transgender or part of other marginalized groups are at far higher risk for mental health challenges and suicide attempts. That's a result of lacking support from school districts and communities. With social supports and smart use of resources, we can help make this gap disappear.

4. Start the high school day after 8:30 a.m. There is a mountain of scientific evidence behind this recommendation, which comes straight from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Adolescent brains need sleep — and their biological cycles make it hard for them to go to bed early. A later start to the school day is associated with less teen depression.

5. Treat gun safety as a mental health issue. Children who live in homes that have guns are at least twice as likely to die by suicide as other kids. That's because the decision to attempt suicide is often impulsive and sudden — and guns are unforgivingly lethal. At a minimum, gun owners should keep their firearms locked up and separate from ammunition — and these practices must be understood as part of the push to keep kids safe.

6. Let kids lead the way.Peer-led suicide prevention programs in schools can reach kids in a way that no top-down awareness campaign can for little dollars. The most successful efforts intentionally involve students from different social groups, different areas of interest and different backgrounds, the better to reach others like them. These programs can work by empowering young people to reach their peers.

Recommendations for action have been a part of Kids in Crisis since its 2016 launch based on what we’ve learned from our reporting and travels. USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin has held 37 town hall meetings attended by more than 2,250 and viewed thousands of times online. We’ve done more than 100 pieces of original reporting.

Want to help make a difference? We will hold a Call to Action Event in Madison at 10 a.m. Thursday (May 10) at the Overture Center where we will continue the conversation with lawmakers and community members and renew the pledge to put Kids in Crisis first.

Join our call for action on youth mental health

We invite you to join us May 10 in Madison to renew the pledge to put Kids in Crisis first and help end teen suicide. We’ll hear stories about youth mental health challenges, resilience and hope. And we will discuss how we all can help improve the mental health of children and families across Wisconsin.

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Barrett Poetker gets a hug from an audience member after sharing her story at a storytelling event for USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin's Kids in Crisis series on youth mental health. Rick Wood, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Dalin Kirn talks about challenges associated with being adopted and losing her birth mother. She had one message for others dealing with depression or doubts: "You are loved." Rick Wood, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

TJ Esser shares his story of coming out as transgender. He said while he feels supported, other transgender people "aren't as lucky," and the way society treats them causes higher rates of mental illness. Rick Wood, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel